What was the earliest globe made of?

The earliest globes were made of ostrich eggs.

The origin of the globe can be traced back to more than 2000 BC, but the oldest globe was built in 1504, more than 30 years before Columbus discovered America. This oldest globe is made of two ostrich eggs embedded together, with a metal rod as the axis and a silver coating on the outside, with a diameter of about 26 cm.

The globe of Kangxi period in the Palace Museum was made by Emperor Kangxi in the early Qing Dynasty at the request of Korean missionaries and some court officials. Matteo Ricci's painting method is widely used in spherical image, proportion and related text narration. The production of this instrument reflects from one side that "the theory of the earth's sphere" has been consolidated in China, and also reflects the level of China's understanding of world geography knowledge at that time.

Introduction to globe

The globe is made by Qing Palace Office, with a height of 135cm and a diameter of 70cm. The copper ring at the waist of the sphere is a horizontal circle with four quadrants engraved on it. The copper ring intersecting the horizon is a meridian ring, engraved with 360. At the north pole of the ball, there is a time dial engraved with twelve o'clock, which is divided into the beginning and the right. Draw the ecliptic, equator and longitude and latitude on the sphere, where the equator is painted in red and the ecliptic is painted in yellow, and draw a longitude and latitude line every 10.

The ecliptic is marked with the names of 24 solar terms, the Tropic of Cancer, the Antarctic Circle and the Arctic Circle. The sphere depicts the administrative areas of the mainland, with the names of some big cities, rivers, lakes and islands, and the sphere also marks the special geographical position. The lower part of the globe shows grotesque aquatic animals, sailboats and navigation lines in the vast sea area.